All Things Tea

As I type this post it is a frigid 12 degrees in Southeastern Michigan - it has gone up 7 degrees since I got up this morning around 8:00 o'clock.  Baby it's cold outside and I don't have any plans to leave my cozy, warm comfortable house.  It is definitely tea drinking weather. 

I have several tea related items I want to share with you in case you might be interested in getting them for yourself.  

You may remember my blog post last April when Bath & Body Works introduced a teacup fragrance plug in their limited edition Bridgerton product line.  I promptly went to their store and purchased one.

Fast forward to February 2025 while scrolling through my Facebook feed I saw they now have a teapot shaped fragrance plug.  It was on sale for $19.95 [plus tax] so, of course, I bought one.  The fragrance refills were on sale for $3.50 each.  The scent I got was Bergamot & Birch.  Bergamot is a main ingredient in Earl Grey tea, and since the fragrance plug is a teapot it only seemed fitting.  ;-)  But there's many fragrances to choose from.

I put this fragrance plug in the master bedroom.

Speaking of the Bridgerton TV series, as the airing of Season Four approaches I noticed the growing number of companies adding the Bridgerton series to their product line. Hallmark now sells Bridgerton products as well as Walmart.  When I was looking for a sugar & creamer set for my Valentine's luncheon I noticed Walmart had one online for $10.  Only problem, it was an in-store pickup only and the store was too far away.  It was on E-bay, however, for $29.99 plus shipping which I was unwilling to pay.  

Not sure why I get Belk ads in my Facebook feed since there aren't any Belk Department Stores in Michigan, but as luck would have it an ad came through my feed for a Napier teacup brooch on sale for $9.99 [never mind that shipping was $10.95!]  It seemed like a good deal so I ordered it.  It's actually even lovelier in person than in the photo.

Another ad that came through my Facebook feed was from J.C. Penney for Cuddle Duds pink Latte spring/summer pajamas.  Since lattes are made with both coffee and tea, and by faith spring will eventually come, I ordered a pair.  They're really cute.  They're wrinkled in the photo below because they were crammed into a small plastic shipping bag, but they have a very soft feel.

A few weeks ago, a lady who was very involved in the beginning of my church's existence passed away.   She attended several of the ladies' spring and fall teas with her daughter.  Upon her passing, her daughter texted me and asked if I would like to have one of her mother's tea sets.  There were three available and she attached photos.  They were all lovely and two had teacups to accompany the teapots, but I chose a pink 3-piece Sadler set with a Cube shaped teapot because I didn't have one of those in my collection.  What a thoughtful keepsake.

I was sure the sugar bowl had a lid to match the teapot, so decided to Google the tea set to see if I might be able to acquire a lid.  Imagine my shock when I saw the set listed on Etsy for $482.64!  The sugar bowl had a lid but the teapot had lots of crazing, which mine does not.  I am so grateful to be gifted with this set even without the sugar bowl lid.  

We have so much teacup breakage at The Whitney, so I recently went through my collection and came up with 25 I was willing to part with [in addition to the 50 I bought from Maria's Antiques and Estate Sales] and put them into service at The Whitney.  I went in on one of my days off to organize and make sure all the teacups were in matching pairs.  Then I took before and after photos to show the servers how the shelves are to be maintained.  Time will tell!  

[Before]

[After]

We store all our tea equipage in the Music Room at The Whitney.  The shelves the teacups occupy were originally used to store sheet music and music books.  The two sets of shelves are on the left and right side of an alcove where a baby grand piano once sat.  I guess this is what's called repurposing! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!  Will you be celebrating with your Sweetheart?

Today is my daughter and son-in-law's sixth Wedding Anniversary.   Happy Anniversary Lori & Dave!

Every year I make them a Carrot Cake on their anniversary, because it's Dave's favorite cake.  This is the first one I made on their wedding day in 2019.

~2020~

I must not have taken a picture in 2021 but below is 2022.  I try to change the decorating a little each year for variety, but it's always a heart in the middle of the cake. I'm not a professional cake decorator, so please don't critique me.  

~ 2023 ~

~ 2024 ~

This year's cake.  I think I need to find a Valentine's cake decorating book so I can come up with some new ideas.  ;-)

On Sunday, February 2nd the groundhog saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter [more in Michigan].  We had a winter snow storm Wednesday night and the photo below is what I woke up to yesterday, but we've had worse.  This was only 3-4 inches.

The teapot below was on Facebook by Artistic Imaginings.  It looked 'icy' to me so I thought it was perfect for following pictures of our recent snow storm. I'm not sure it's functional, but it's probably pricey.

It might be a perfect gift for someone's Valentine, but I'm happy with my box of chocolate covered cherries and dinner after work at El Charros!  ;-)

A Valentine's Tea Luncheon

Last Tuesday [February 4th] I hosted a Valentine's tea luncheon for my girlfriend, Lori, and Raquel, a lady from my church.  I invited others, but one was sick and the other two had prior commitments.  But the three of us had a wonderful afternoon fellowshipping together.  Lori was the photographer, so I have her to thank for all the pictures in this post.  The only downside is she's not in any of the photos.

I used some of the dishes I recently acquired and blogged about, so you will probably recognize them.  Setting a themed tablescape and planning a menu to coordinate is one of my favorite things to do, and I particularly enjoy holiday themes.  In the past, I've made some of the tablescape photos into notecards which is fun.

Below is the teapot I bought recently at Marshalls' for $12.99.  I knew at the time I would probably use it as a centerpiece.  I got the flowers at Thrifty Florist and arranged them in the teapot myself.  [Don't critique me - I make no claims to being a floral designer].  Since purchasing the teapot, I've seen it on E-bay ranging from $34.95 to $39.95 plus shipping! What a profit markup. 

Instead of making scones, I opted for Fresh Strawberry Muffins from Tea for All Reasons cookbook.  Usually muffins have a sweet cake-like taste and texture but these actually tasted like scones.  The batter was very stiff, and I probably could have rolled it out on a floured surface.  A friend gifted me with a jar of homemade Strawberry Jam at Christmas so I served it with the muffins in individual vintage salt cellars.

I served Zuppa Stracciatella soup, which is really Italian Wedding Soup minus the tiny meatballs.

It was followed by a Spinach/Strawberry Salad with heart-shaped croutons [made with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and sprinkled with garlic salt].  They made a fun presentation.

The main course was a recipe from a former pastor's wife and it's always liked by all - Chicken & Noodle Casserole with a Ritz Cracker crumb topping.

Dessert was Love-letter Pastry Envelopes with Raspberry Jam tucked inside and Chocolate Mousse served in demitasse cups.  I used to tell the young women at church not to experiment on their guests, and I didn't follow my own advice with the Chocolate Mousse.  It was edible, but almost like molded chocolate candy rather than soft-textured mousse.  Fortunately, we were able to use our spoons to eat it so it wasn't completely solid.  I think I know where I messed up and will correct it next time [if there is a next time].  I didn't particularly care for the bittersweet chocolate taste.  

The tea was Strawberry Chocolate Black Tea.

~ Raquel and Me ~

My sweet girlfriend, Lori, came with a beautiful Valentine's Floral Arrangement and she left a thoughtful surprise birthday greeting sitting on the counter in my bathroom for me to find after she left.

I hope you enjoyed being my guest vicariously.

A New Book

If you're a follower of my blog, you know Jeremy is my youngest son.  Throughout the adult years of his 45 year old life, his career has taken him down several paths from a high school teacher to an Athletic Director and Assistant High School Principle, to a senior living executive, and presently CEO of his own company, Captain's Light Consulting. 

Last week, one of his goals became a reality when his first book became published, The Conqueror's Way.  Thoughts for this book began to formulate about six years ago when parenting his oldest daughter, Isabella [Izzy], as she navigated her way through a middle school challenge with some of her peers, helping her realize that her identity and value as a person are in no way connected to the opinion of others.   It is found in being a child of God!

Life experiences and lessons added to the development of his book until it became a reality and rolled off the presses for availability last week.

I offer no apology for promoting his book.  Mothers have bragging rights. ;-) 

Seriously, it is a thought provoking and inspiring book for all ages - teenagers through senior adults. Who doesn't want a victorious life filled with purpose for God's glory?

"...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Romans 8:37

The book is available at Amazon.  Podcasts to re-enforce each chapter will soon be available.  I'll keep you posted.

To inject tea into this post, he's the only one of my three children who is a tea drinker!  ;-)

Birthday Celebrating Continues...

After church this morning, we went to Ike's Lebanese Restaurant to celebrate my birthday with daughter, Lori, and our son, Steve, came too.  Son-in-law, Dave, is home sick with a virus and daughter-in-law, Sharon, is still in Lansing caring for her father who had heart surgery on Thursday.

I didn't take any food photos, but three of us ordered Chicken Shawarma and the other got Chicken Parmesan.  A Mediterranean salad came with our meal plus their basket of warm Naan Bread with creamy hummus.  Their portions are so large we were all too full to eat the birthday cake Lori brought, so it came home with us.

The gift bag from Lori contained two tins of Fortnum & Mason black tea [Royal Blend and Queen Anne] and a tin of Lemon Curd Biscuits [cookies].

My family treated me very well for my birthday.  I also received a gift card to the Pink House tearoom, an E-bay gift card and $78 [a dollar for each year of my life].  Now another year of life begins.

When I got home from work yesterday there was a gift card from our local Jets Pizzeria for a free large chocolate chip cookie [made in a pie tin] and a four piece pizza.  That was a first, and I promptly took them up on it.  ;-)

A Birthday Dinner

My biological 'odometer' officially rolled over to 78 years yesterday.  I'm grateful God gave me another birthday to celebrate.

We picked our son, Jeremy, up at Detroit Metro Airport [returning from a week of business in California] and then we drove to St. Clair, MI where we met our other son, Steve, for dinner at River Crab restaurant to celebrate my birthday.  Both of their wives were out-of-town, so it was just me and the three men in my life!   We will celebrate again on Sunday after church with our daughter and son-in-law.   

There were no freighters on the St. Clair River yesterday.  Just large chunks of ice floating down the river.

We ordered Dynamite Scallops as our 'starter', served with their yummy bread basket of warm rolls and crackers with salmon pate.

It was followed by a bowl of New England Clam Chowder, which I forgot to take a picture of.

Three of us ordered the Ultimate Seafood Mixed Trio - Grilled Salmon, Crab Cake, and Coconut Shrimp, served with Coconut Ginger Rice and Tender Steamed Broccoli.

Jeremy and I enjoyed Harney & Sons Raspberry Herbal Tea with our meal.

Because it was my birthday, I got a complimentary Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee after we finished our entrees.  I shared it with everyone because we were all very full.  

The three men in my life [plus two grandsons, not pictured]!

'My Boys'

After dinner we drove home and Jeremy spent the night at our house before returning to his home in Zeeland, MI.  It was a lovely birthday celebration!

 

More This and That...

 Happy February 1st!  It's National Cherry month, and other significant days.

I was out shopping on Wednesday and found some fun things at Marshalls'/HomeGoods that I wanted to share with you.  Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, several things in their Valentine's section begged to come home with me - a teapot, heart-shaped ovenproof covered casserole dish and heart-shaped soup bowls.  

I couldn't leave these heart-shaped dessert spoons behind either!

 

My youngest son is a big Elvis fan, so when I saw an Elvis cup/mug I knew I had to get it for him [it was also at Marshalls' if you're an Elvis fan].  It's been mailed and will be a fun unexpected surprise.  Maybe Jeremy can use it in his home office for a pen and pencil holder??Elvis would have celebrated his 90th birthday on January 8th if he were still living. 

Have you ever watched a food video on your iPhone that looked easy and delicious, but didn't turn out like the video portrayed?  Last week I watched a video for a crockpot pull-apart pizza [using frozen dinner rolls] which I thought would be a perfect accompaniment for one of our soup meals.  It would probably be cheaper to buy a pizza from a pizzeria because by the time the frozen rolls, pizza sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese were purchased, it was pricey.  That would have been okay if we liked it, but I was very disappointed with the results. I watched the video several times to make sure I did everything correctly, and I made it twice with disappointing results both times.  The cooking times and/or temperatures were way off and the rolls around the perimeter were burned.  We ate it and my hubby said it was okay, but I won't be making it again.  The crockpot went back down to the basement.  ;-)

Part of my job at The Whitney is making sure we have an ample supply of teacups for Mansion Tea on Fridays and Saturdays.  There is so much breakage by the wait staff that the supply was getting low, so I contacted Maria, owner of a local estate sale shop, and she sold me 50 vintage teacups.  My hubby and I went to pick them up yesterday after work.  I try not to get too attached to any of them because I know they'll all have a fateful doom, but for now our supply is up again.

With all the American and British potteries that have closed due to a lack of demand for teacups and other pieces of china/porcelain, I wonder if the day will come when they'll no longer be available once the older generation dies and china isn't replenished by younger generations who have no interest.  What a sad thought!

On a happier note, enjoy the month of February!